I'm wondering what some of you use for an oil quenching container. How thick of a wall should it be. I know it needs a quickly closable lid for flash fires. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

BTW, I'm wanting it to be used for large items like hammer heads.

I've used a 5 gallon steel bucket with a steel lid. Now I use an old soda-acid stainless steel fire extinguisher body, but I'm mainly doing blades. Wall thickness isn't really important, as long as it doesn't leak.

My favorite place to find quenching containers is the nearest used restaurant supply! They have beat up stuff out back that won't work for restaurants any more but is a blacksmith's dream. Old steamer trays with lids(in case of flash) are Great!There's one or two such stores in most any good sized town... Eric S.

I use a piece of commercial duct piping with one end capped off to hold 7 gallons of crank case oil. Ive quenched numerous power hammer dies in which the die welded to the mounting plate weighs 6lbs. The walls of this are .035" stainless steel and I do bump them when I agitate during quench. The amount of fire I get upon insertion is very little considering it is a 6lb chunk of cherry red steel. Key is, get it down in and stir rapidly without bringing it to the top. Yes it generates a bit of oil smoke and I make sure and open a 10'x10' door at each end of my shop. I probably wouldn't go any thinner than this 20 gage sheet if possible. By the second die quenched the oil is hot but the outside of the container can be held bare handed. If I did more than two at once, I would prefer to have more oil than 7 gallons. Hope this helped with some ideas. Spears.

Old milk cans with a wedge top work well. The top is usually chained to the container and is easy to flip shut. They will also hold quite a bit of oil vertically so longer items can be quenched.

I use steel ammo boxes. They've got good fitting lids and have handles so you can carry them about if needed. I've one that holds about 27L and is perfect in the workshop.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm going to check out what I can find at the flea market tomorrow ( now that I have a better idea of what to look for).

Note for blade quenching it's handy to have a drop in plate with a block of wood screwed to it so if you accidentally drop a large blade in the tip doesn't puncture the container making a mess---the wood is so you don't mess up the tip. (if you put the screws in the corners it's unlikely the tip will impact them; but using something like 2x and short screws you shouldn't have a problem anyway.)

I use an ammo can. Mine holds about 3 gallons of quenchant with room left for to slosh around when quenching a blade.

Don't forget a basket of some type to get parts out easily. Sometimes you want to do drop the part in, and a basket saves getting oil in your armpits or having to drain down the tank. A simple piece of hardware cloth cut and shaped works nicely, I have not heard of the zinc being a problem in quench oils.

Phil

I have a 40 gallon glass lined tank that I am going to press into service.

I use one of the containers for oily rags ( looks like a bucket with a flip top lid )

Mike Tanner

I quenched one of my chisels in a paper cup full of olive oil. That made me nervous enough that I got a steel popcorn container which seems a bit safer...

I do hope that you made precautions for the oil catching fire and/or getting knocked over. IF it worked your very fortunate. I am not sure I would do that outside in the middle of the winter with 6 inches of snow on the ground, but that is me.

I made mine out of a forty pound propane tank. I prepared the tank for cutting by filling it with water. I let if stand for several days before draining then cut off the top dome. Weld a metal disk to the open end of the removed dome ( the disk till be the finished top of the tank lid so make it from a gage heavy enough to weld the hinge assembly to). Set the lid, dome down, into the open top of the cylinder. Fit and weld simple hinge brackets from light bar stock to the top and tank side. Weld a handle to the top and handles to the sides for opening and moving the tank container around.

Set the hinges so that the domed top will flop down and seal the tank container. This arrangement provides a tight seal to prevent, or smother, flash fires. I also made a catch tray for the tank from a loop of bar stock with expanded metal bottom so that I can just throw things in and close the lid. The catch tray is fitted with a long handle so that the tray can be pulled up out of the oil.

I will try to post pictures later today.

I use one of the old blue enameled roasting pans like you see at your grand mothers house. Oval, about a foot long and two inches deep with a snug lid with handle on the lid and at each end of the pan.

I have up loaded pictures of my Quench Tank, which was fabricated from a propane cylinder, to my Gallery file . Please note that since the propane cylinders base is small I welded a old iron wheel on to provide a stable base for the tank.

I am unable to down load these pictures from the Gallery to this Forum ( my old Mack will not support multiple windows) so visit my Gallery for a view if you like.

I have up loaded pictures of my Quench Tank, which was fabricated from a propane cylinder, to my Gallery file . Please note that since the propane cylinders base is small I welded a old iron wheel on to provide a stable base for the tank.

OK Here are the pictures of my Oil Quench Tank which is fabricated from a 40 pound propane tank.